The Genius of Pentax

Anecdotal reports are that the K-01 has suddenly become a hot ticket item. Certainly the price drops should get most of the credit, particularly where it is aggressively priced now.

At the original price point, it didn't compete well because it didn't have the marketing prowess behind it to create a new category (mirrorless, full-size mount). However, a couple of things are happening with the resurgence. What the mirrorless adherents of other brands are finding out is that lens selection is mostly a "buy new" prospect and at a premium to boot. NEX folks like that legacy Minolta glass though that requires various adapters (expensive, don't work that well). Once they tack on the adapter and the full size lens it occurs to them that it sure would be nice if they could just put those lenses directly on their camera. Hey wait, doesn't that "silly looking" Pentax K-01 do that???  Wow!

So then, I suspect a good number of non-Pentax mirrorless fans are going to end up going back to smaller SLRs and (gulp) SLTs or maybe even start looking seriously at jumping ship to Pentax and the K-01. Once you taste good IQ, it becomes very difficult to step down to anything regardless of size weight/conveniences. Good IQ requires good lenses and the only lens *value* prospect is legacy glass.

Though it may never go truly mass market, is the K-01 destined for cult status? I think almost certainly so. The diminutive limited lens line (and ESPECIALLY if they produce more of the outstanding XS glass) with the K-01 body is a very attractive, high-performance combination. The rubber door? That's like a mole on a pretty girl's back.

Pentax just hit a big home run by dropping the price and I think the entire K-01 project may end up being profitable for them due to volume. I realize it's probably too late to start a K-01 marketing campaign but if they did, they need to hammer home the standard full-sized KAF mount (with focus peaking) and the availability of everything that can go on it. For all ILC buyers, lenses are almost always the biggest decision factor and though some are better than others basically all mirrorless lenses leave something to be desired, if not in performance then in value.